On November, 9th 2015 Chatham students traveled to our nation’s capital for the Our Generation, Our Choice campaign. This was an important event which attracted over 1,000 millennials to the streets of Washington D.C. for a peaceful rally for justice on race, climate, and immigration. A day prior to the march, organizations such 350.org, Divestment Student Network, United We Dream, and Million Hoodies arranged mandatory action training sessions for students to prepare for the events of the march through educational workshops.
Millennials met at Franklin Square Park to protest against the political inaction that has been normalized for issues regarding social and environmental injustices with the 2016 presidential election in mind. This epic mobilization brought together a coalition of young adults seeking to change the nation’s view on climate justice, equality among races, fossil fuel divestment, and immigrant justice. All of these issues may not seem to be connected, but they are, in-fact, very much linked through a common theme: there exists strong economic injustices for people of color and their living conditions relative to non-minority groups living in the United States. Poor communities are disproportionately exposed to hazardous environmental conditions more so than any other economic class. It is up to millennials, and to all of us, to realize that we need more equity in American politics and to understand that climate change will play and ever increasing role in policy in the years to come.
Cierra Snyder, BA Sustainability ’19, reflects on her positive experience from attending the march: “Going to D.C. to express concern for climate change and other important issues was one of the most amazing experiences that I ever had! It is a great feeling to be around so many passionate people and shut down traffic to get your point across to the people in charge.”
The vision for a better country and an improved economy is one in the same for the future leaders of climate change and social justice. According to the Our Generation, Our Choice campaign, it is a vision that “keeps fossil-fuels in the ground; protects the lives of black, brown, poor, and immigrant communities; and reinvests in healthy jobs and renewable energy.” This vision will be the catalyst to build the power that will be needed to mobilize future generations to choose strong political leaders who will make this vision come to life.
Chatham University’s Business and Entrepreneurship Department realizes that sustainability is a competitive advantage in business and leads to smarter decision-making. Chatham’s Sustainability MBA concentration is dedicated to forming leaders in business who understand the value that sustainable business practices can create. The Sustainability concentration track prepares graduates to identify and seize strategic sustainable business opportunities for the organizations they serve through courses such as Sustainability and Assessment Reporting, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and Sustainable Behavior Change.
